You believe in God. I don’t. So what?

Meet Army Specialist Jeremy Hall. He enlisted years back, and was first deployed to Iraq in 2005. Initially, he thought highly of the cause. “I thought going to Iraq was right because we had God on our side,” he said. Over time, though, he began to question those beliefs, and eventually came to a realization:

“There are so many religions in the world,” he said. “Everyone thinks he’s right. Who is right? Even people who are Christians think other Christians are wrong.”

Because of his atheist views, Specialist Hall became the target of threats and harassment. He didn’t preach. He didn’t tell others that they were worshipping a false prophet. He kept to himself, save for attending meetings for atheists and freethinkers, a place he could associate with like-minded soldiers.

According to his story, he was ambushed at one of these meetings by Maj. Freddy J. Welborn. In a sworn statement, which was corroborated by another soldier in attendance, Hall alleges that Welborn told him the following: “People like you are not holding up the Constitution and are going against what the founding fathers, who were Christians, wanted for America!”

Apparently, Maj. Welborn has never read the Bill of Rights. If he had, he would have noticed Article the third: “Congress shall make no law respecting an established religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

So no, Maj. Welborn, that is not holding up the Constitution, nor is it going against what the founding fathers wanted for America. Judging by the Bill of Rights, they wanted religious freedom for all Americans. Though to some, having no religion means no religious freedom: “Another sergeant allegedly told Specialist Hall that as an atheist, he was not entitled to religious freedom because he had no religion.”

This is patently ridiculous. Some people have faith in God. Some do not. But just because they do not have faith in God does not mean that they do not have faith at all. I have faith in the power of the human mind. That is my religion. But that’s not valid to some people, because it’s not what they believe. So, apparently, ancient teachings that have been muddle through endless translations through the years are valid, while doubting them is not. That is the message from Maj. Welborn, among others.

This will not be a soapbox for atheism. To me, soapboxing is antithetical to atheism. It is to say, however, that while religion does bring communities of people closer together, it divides us as a whole. For all the talk of “what the founding fathers wanted,” it seems that we simply cannot embrace their ideal that everyone should be to worship however they choose. Even if they choose not to.